Keyboard Probs during XP Installation on TravelMate 380

[MrChitlin]

I am re-installing XP onto a laptop, an ACER 'TravelMate 380', and when it gets as far as asking for the XP key, the keys D and S don't work, which kind of stops me in my tracks. The recovery disks that came with it are a waste of plastic.

This machine was bought in Taiwan, so I suspect it is going to be the keyboard or localization that you're prompted for prior to the actual install, so anyone have any idea which it should be ? I have tried the obvious ones and am getting close to chucking the thing out the window, but it's not mine so that option is not available, yet.

One other thing, it does have some chinese characters which have been penciled out, so it's got to be one of these local settings, soo if anyone has been through this as well, please let me know.

Thanks

[David (PassMark)]

Maybe just plug in an English external USB keyboard?

[MrChitlin]

The S D saga continues

Hi, yes took your advise and installed XP using an external keyboard, install went fine.

Still having the same issue in that the 's' and 'd' keys refuse to work. Beginning to think it must be a hardware fault, but gut feeling tells me it must be down to it having a Chinese mandarin keyboard. It has English letters as primary and squiggly-dash as the secondary characters.

This is no longer a fault, but more an exercise in anger management....

[David (PassMark)]

Regardless of the language the A and D keys have a function on the keyboard. I would say it is a hardware fault.

The A,S,D,W & X keys are often used for games. As so can get more work that the other keys and are more likely to fail. The penciled out characters might be been for in game shortcuts. Sounds like you might have bought a dud.